That being said, I’m now ready to buckle down, and earlier this week I restarted my attitude and coupled that reboot with action. I know that the gains, or in my case, losses will be incremental, and that patience and steadiness are crucial. Throughout these past 10 months’ fitness process, I’ve continued to learn and relearn lessons around patience, vision and endurance. Many of these lessons parallel what my executive clients undergo. I’ve shared a few of those here:
Making a commitment to move forward spurred hope and joy. I was further girded by building new habits in the gym and in the kitchen. It was exhilarating as my arms and legs became a bit stronger in just the first month or two, and as I realized the final chapter of my fitness story was yet to be written.
Similarly, my clients exude exhilaration once they’ve determined to set off on the first steps of a career transition journey meaningfully exploring new pathways. Regardless of their age or career phase, whether they are priming for the next breakthrough role or are considering their post-retirement Board of Directors next step, they are exhilarated by the forward movement.
Converting Early Disappointment Into Vision of the Long Game
As my new fitness plan gained steam, each day felt more focused, and I delightfully saw pounds decrease on the scale. I shared the good news with my husband, while also asking if he could see the difference in my form — could he tell I’d lost weight and/or was toning up? Initially (and being the honest man I love and know), he said, no, he could not see a difference, yet.
This early feedback felt a little bit disappointing, but alas, I have been through this fitness journey before. I realized that early signs of success are not obvious to the outside viewer; however, in time, the longer term gains would exude and be visible. I would just keep at it, confident in this future reward, while embracing the gains that I knew and could see (on the scale) were happening.
Similarly, my clients, equipped with their newly polished career story, begin firing off messages to target opportunities or to people whom they have researched or with whom they have networked. Initially confident that those same folks will want to quickly pluck them off the market, they are later discouraged by the lack of response — by the silence that feels deafening. This feeling of rejection may be unusual and feel counterintuitive for many executives accustomed to being at the helm of the ship with others saying yes to them.
However, job search, even at the executive level is about the long game. It’s about the small “daily job search workouts” that will provide the greatest gains, over time. Even on those days when no visible improvement is apparent, the focused hard work is making a difference.
It’s about building career search muscle and gaining strength day by day amid the struggle, even when no one else is noticing, even when you aren’t noticing.
Because the change is happening in increments, and traction will come.
Transforming Exec Job Search From Stagnant to Invigorating
Seemingly, in the blink of an eye, I awoke and was able to lift a stronger weight, add momentum to my workout, and even begin wearing smaller clothes. My husband (and others) began to comment that they saw a difference, too; that there was less girth and a trimmer me.
But it wasn’t just that. I was gaining muscle and not just shedding fat. It was about the quality of the losses, and the gained new strength. And, today, while I’m eager to shed those last few pounds, I’m equally eager to continue building muscle and toning my shape versus sacrificing my emotional and physical gains at the altar of becoming thinner.
Similarly, executive job seekers that continue with positive, focused momentum will achieve their goals. The path may not be swift, but if they stay focused on their day to day initiatives, an agility will be apparent. In time, job-search results will present themselves in the form of the right networking conversation, the meaty interview, the job offer that fits and exhilarates.
All this will happen organically, and without the loss of career gains and muscle that heretofore have been integral to career fortitude. It’s not just about speed or rapidly getting to that next career-fit destination; it’s also about maintaining mental muscle amid the rigorous, but invigorating process; it’s about growing holistically along the way to reaching your next exhilarating chapter.
About the Author:
I’m Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Certified Master Resume Writer (CMRW), Certified Executive Resume Master (CERM) and Executive Career Storyteller. My determination to build my own mental and physical muscle underpins my determination to build the most exhilarative and nuanced career stories possible. I love to write the stories that sell executive value to the right audience with the right, golden opportunity. If you’d like to learn more, you can reach me at jacqui@careertrend.net or check out my services and samples at www.careertrend.net.
